Teeny Hippo Tang Survivability?

[NaH2O]

This thread idea came from a member, and I think it is a great topic. Have you ever bought a teeny tiny Hippo tang from the LFS, and had it survive? You know...the hippo tangs that look like tiny swimming blue quarters. Let's talk about their survivability, and see if they are worth purchasing, or best left in the ocean to grow a bit.

If you have bought one or many....then how was the outcome? Would you buy more hippo tangs that size?

 

[shallowreef]

I tried one a year ago and put it in a 45gallon hex and it lived for about three months but then just dissapeared. The only other fish in the tank were a pair of clownfish. The smallest one that i ever got that lived was about 2" long through Fosters and Smith. i still have that one today and he is going on 7yrs.

 

[Scooterman]

Nikki If you look at the last photos I posted of my tank you will see & Regal about the size of a quarter & a dime
He was in QT for me at the LFS & was nothing but fat, he is eating well. I don't have anything to harass him & will let it grow a while before I even try to add anything bigger. I'm feeding it co-pods, brian shrimp & spectrum pellets, also some seaweed but he doesn't seem to eat that, even soaked in garlic. Garlic seems to be an attractant, they usually jump on it if I have soaked it in garlic, I have a small true perk smaller than a quarter & a Mandarin, all eating anything soaked in Kent's garlic extreme.

 

[spongebob lover]

no i have never done it.... i really really like them but i thought it'd be cruel for me to bring a tang in my 37 .

 

[brianblack]

I did - bout the size of a dime ok maybe penny. Still kicking after 2 years - bout the size of the $80 ones in the store. Oh and seems to be in love with my yellow tang

 

[aquarookie]

I have not bought one but our LFS got a bunch of tiny ones in, and I have observed them for months... They have grown and seem quite happy

 

[chris&barb]

we got 2 a few months ago about the size of a nickel. they have been doing great. there both about 2" now

 

[wrightme43]

They grow very quickly and seem to do very well for my customers. Then again all three were quar, and trained to eat new life spectrum by me. No losses yet. I figure I am due for one or two though since the fish are so small to start with.
I am on the net and bag my own program at the LFS so that cuts down on stress for them, and I get to pick the exact fish I want as well.

 

[spongebob lover]

They grow very quickly and seem to do very well for my customers. Then again all three were quar, and trained to eat new life spectrum by me. No losses yet. I figure I am due for one or two though since the fish are so small to start with.
I am on the net and bag my own program at the LFS so that cuts down on stress for them, and I get to pick the exact fish I want as well.

way to go Steve !!

 

[Scooterman]

Close call once again, getting home after a three day weekend I found my small tang sucked against the suction box I made for the CL, thought it would disperse enough but apparently It doesn't. I looked closely & thought he was lifeless, so I unplugged the pump & low & behold he fell off & slowly swam away. He had round circular parts that sucked out some of his lower abdominal, upper side & dorsal fin was damaged. He was like all sucked in, thin bodied, I thought he was done for. I thought about putting him in QT but decided against it, I have no other fish to stress him & he went into hiding. The next day after work I came home still nothing, so later I out some food & yes he popped out, still shaken-ed but he ate like crazy. Three days now I can't tell what happened, seems to heal very fast, eating like crazy, body full again. I guess it was a close call, this happened to the very first Hippo I had years ago, he was bigger & got caught in the drain pipe for a long time but survived! I do feed spectrum pellets, brian, & articpods & Sprungs seaweed (which he doesn't eat yet).

 

[spongebob lover]

Close call once again, getting home after a three day weekend I found my small tang sucked against the suction box I made for the CL, thought it would disperse enough but apparently It doesn't. I looked closely & thought he was lifeless, so I unplugged the pump & low & behold he fell off & slowly swam away. He had round circular parts that sucked out some of his lower abdominal, upper side & dorsal fin was damaged. He was like all sucked in, thin bodied, I thought he was done for. I thought about putting him in QT but decided against it, I have no other fish to stress him & he went into hiding. The next day after work I came home still nothing, so later I out some food & yes he popped out, still shaken-ed but he ate like crazy. Three days now I can't tell what happened, seems to heal very fast, eating like crazy, body full again. I guess it was a close call, this happened to the very first Hippo I had years ago, he was bigger & got caught in the drain pipe for a long time but survived! I do feed spectrum pellets, brian, & articpods & Sprungs seaweed (which he doesn't eat yet).

may be Dori was trying to scape .

 

[Scooterman]

Well sad update, the first few days after getting sucked up he looked great but slowly started acting weird hiding only to come out during feeding time, slowly he perished, I'm certain he had internal damage, it was sucked out a good bit that first day. I won't get one that small again; they cost too much to risk killing it. I don't know what I’ll get, right now I have a Mandarin & a True perk both seem to be doing well, hope long term to succeed with the mandarin but that may be a while before we find out if he can survive in a glass cage!

 

[NaH2O]

Sorry for your loss Scooty!

 

[ronj]

i tried 2 tiny hippo's a while back..they died a day later..they were sick when i purchasd them though

 

[lizardarm]

i'd purchased one quite a while back, about the size of a quarter when i got it. by the time i sold that reef tank, it was probably five or six inches long. always seemed very healthy.

 

[ExoticAquascape]

I got one 4 years ago (quarter size) and put it in a 24 gallon JBJ nano reef, it out grew that and then went into a major display until I moved and when I sold it it was almost 5"

 

[Reborn]

I got one about the size of a nickel. Not sure if it was tank raised or wild. I put it in a 29g then later upgraded to a 75g. At the time I had a yellow tail blue damsel that was always picking on newcomers but this little tang thought it was mom and followed it everywhere. The damsel traded being a bully for being a parent. It didn't survive the upgrade but the tang is about 2" long now and doing great.

 

[TxCadillaC]

This thread idea came from a member, and I think it is a great topic. Have you ever bought a teeny tiny Hippo tang from the LFS, and had it survive? You know...the hippo tangs that look like tiny swimming blue quarters. Let's talk about their survivability, and see if they are worth purchasing, or best left in the ocean to grow a bit.

If you have bought one or many....then how was the outcome? Would you buy more hippo tangs that size?

:lol: funny you mention it i just bought one today and seems to love the tank but we will see in time

 

[The Apprentice]

Quarter sized

I bought Mine on-line and It was sent to me It was so small! about a quarter She swam into some tabeling Figi rock My wife & I freeked out thought she was going to die right there and then!:evil:
I pulled her out and now she is over 8+" long and over 3 years old The biggerst fish in my tank! And she still hides every night

 

[reefmaster]

I have had 1 hippo, bout the size of a quarter, had to fish him out of the overflows twice, took back to lfs, did'nt have the heart to dispose of it myself